Kevin Pinner

    kevindanielpinner@gmail.com

    A GROUP of female expatriates in Shenzhen that include a World Traditional Wushu Champion are currently making an independent movie in the city.

    “Milk & Water” is in its pre-production stage, but has already managed to attract a talented group of young artists, designers, musicians, videographers and more.

    The core members of the group are writer, director and actor Svitlana Zavialova, producer and actor Anastasia Lebedeva and actor Ana Sava. Zavialova has been involved in martial arts all her life and forayed into filmmaking after being inspired on her travels.

    “Most of my time in China I was focused on winning the World Traditional Wushu Championship,” she said. She accomplished this goal in 2012 and has now turned her attention to films.

    “There are a lot of great athletes that grow too old for these kind of things and no one actually sees them. They just stay behind the doors of the gym,” she said. “Then there are people who use their skills in other industries, like cinematography in the case of Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan. These guys didn’t stay in the gym. That was the evolution of my way in wushu, too.”

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    She hit a point where she wanted to share her talents with a larger audience, concluding that “film is the best way to show something to huge masses of people.”

    She likens her take on Wushu to the fluid visual communication of ballet and drawing. “Wushu moves are suitable to be used in the same way.”

    The film will not be a martial arts flick, however. Its a story about vampires losing their powers because of a witch who falls in love with a female vampire in the 19th century, then gets her heart broken and, in revenge, mistakenly enacts a curse on all vampires instead of just her lost lover. Set in the 21st century, the films centers on vampires trying to survive and fit into society while having miserable, endless lives. All of this is revealed in the film by a vampire-obsessed young researcher whose grandfather was mysteriously altered in the second half of his life before he disappeared.

    From a production standpoint, the movie is female-centric.

    “It’s a female production, a female point of view,” said Ana Sava. “It’s not a feminist thing, but it will definitely be from a female point of view in terms of the film’s production and how the story is going to be told.”

    Also involved in the project are 69sin, a Hong Kong-based fashion-cum-object designer who has worked with several English fashion firms, and Sergey Artistique, a choreographer and producer for international fashion shows (in Germany, Moscow and all over Asia). These two will work together on the costume design.

    In addition, Greg Merrell, a local American musician, has written the film’s soundtrack. A Ukrainian special effects supervisor, Denys Leontyev, is on board, too. Some local Chinese actors will appear in the film as well.

    When it’s completed, the group hopes to show the film at international film festivals. For now, they are continuing to look for collaborators and investors.